Chicago Bulls Fire Head Coach Fred Hoiberg

Jim Boylen has been named the permanent head coach.

Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson announced Monday that Fred Hoiberg has been fired as head coach of the team.

In a statement released Monday morning, Paxson said, “Decisions like this one are never easy to make, however I felt this was the right choice for our organization at this time. After a thorough evaluation, I elected to make this move with the overall development of our team in mind. As a team, I believe it is imperative that we make unfaltering strides in the right direction and build the right habits to help put our players in the best position to evolve not only now, but into the future. I want to thank Fred for his dedication and efforts, as well as for his enduring commitment to our team.”

Hoiberg was named Chicago’s head coach on June 2, 2015 after spending five seasons as head coach at Iowa State. During his time with the Bulls, he coached the team to a record of 115-155 (.426). In 2017, he guided the team to the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, where they were ousted by the Boston Celtics in six games.

Paxson also announced associate head coach Jim Boylen has been promoted to head coach.

Boylen joined the Bulls on June 17, 2015. With 33 years of coaching experience, that includes 20 seasons in the NBA, Boylen has been a part of three NBA Championship teams. He entered the NBA in 1992-93 with the Houston Rockets, where he broke in as the team’s video coordinator/scout. Following four seasons in that role, he was promoted to assistant coach on Rudy Tomjanovich’s staff. He has also served as an assistant coach with Golden State (2003-04), Milwaukee (2004-05), Indiana (2011-13) and San Antonio (2013-14). Additionally, he has coached collegiately at Michigan State, where he served on the staffs for both Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo. Most recently on the collegiate level, he was head coach at the University of Utah, where he led the Utes to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

It remains to be seen what’s next for the 46-year-old Hoiberg, whose competitive fire still burns. His coaching stock has taken a hit on the NBA scene, but he still garners strong respect within the Timberwolves organization. Hoiberg worked in Minnesota’s front office from 2006-’10, and the franchise could be looking for a new coach soon after prolonged tensions with Tom Thibodeau.

Hoiberg will likely garner interest from some high-major programs if he considered going back to the college ranks, but he had a disdain for the recruiting scene when he left Iowa State in 2015.